Book Read Free

Tangled

Page 34

by Uc Amalu, Jr

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Ben walked through the doors of Bluey’s at eight o’clock.

  He approached the bar and ordered a beer.

  “Wow!” cried Tadpole, “Nice war wound.” He pointed to the

  clear plastic band-aid covering the seven stitches above

  Ben’s right eye.

  Ben laughed, “Thanks.”

  “She musta been some lady?” Tadpole continued, taking

  the ten-dollar note from Ben’s hand. He rang up the cash

  register and handed him his change. “I hope she was

  worth it?”

  “She was, and she most definitely was worth it!” replied

  Ben, patting the laceration on his head. His war wound

  was worth taking Rose-Marie Sugars down for, and he

  wasn’t one bit concerned about his appearance. Ben

  thought about Carolyn, his scar hadn’t deterred her. It

  hadn’t stopped her from accepting his offer for dinner

  tomorrow evening. He smiled dreamily when he thought

  of her. She was everything he wanted in a woman and

  strangely enough, she found him appealing too. It

  seemed his fortunes were on the rise. He had Jay to

  thank really, if he hadn’t have been so bold last night,

  inviting her out on his behalf, things may never have

  eventuated the way they did.

  “Jayy here yet?” Ben enquired.

  “Haven’t seen him.”

  “Tell him I’m out there, would you please?” He pointed to

  the smoker’s deck. “Gonna get some fresh air.”

  “On the smokers deck?” giggled Tadpole. “Good luck!”

  “Yeah, pretty dumb thing to say wasn’t it?” Ben smirked,

  then picked up his drink and made his way to the open-

  air deck.

  The chill of the air slapped Ben’s cheeks. They stung and

  turned rosey from the sudden drop in temperature. He

  spied an empty table at the far end of the deck and walked

  over. As he sat his beer down, the table wobbled and his

  glass toppled over, spilling all down the side of the chair

  and onto the deck. He bent down and retrieved the glass

  from the deck and stared at the mess he’d just made.

  “Well, that’s a fine way to start the celebrations!”

  Ben spun around to see Jay standing behind him, his

  hands on his hips and smiling broadly. “Crikey, Ben.

  You’ve only been here five minutes, so Tadpole tells me,

  and you’re already drunk!” his grin grew even wider.

  “It was the table…”

  “A bad workman always blames his tools, maybe you

  should be restricted to orange juice all night, eh?” his

  laugh encouraged Ben to do the same.

  “You’re such a stirrer, Jayy.”

  “Whoa! Nice scar there, buddy,” Jay cried, pointing to the

  cut above Ben’s eye.

  “Yeah, it’s a real talking point.”

  “Bet that does wonders for your brain-bleeders?”

  Ben patted his pocket, “That’s why I have these little

  beauties.” he said referring to his painkillers. “First sign of

  an ache, I pop two of these and I’m out!”

  “Well, you better sit down before you hurt yourself, or

  someone else,” Jay began. “And I’ll go get us another

  round, okay?”

  Ben chuckled and handed the empty glass to him, “I can

  live with that. Hey, where’s that girl of yours?”

  “I’m about to go and find out, grab us another table and

  I’ll be back.” Jay spun around and weaved his way

  through the crowd, back to the bar. He placed the empty

  beer glass back on the bar and yelled, “Hey Tad, two more

  here thanks.”

  Tadpole nodded his head, “Coming right up.”

  “Where’s Danni? I haven’t seen her yet,” Jay asked him

  when he shoved the drinks in front of him.

  “She’ll be here,” he answered, closing the till and giving

  Jay back his change. “She phoned earlier and asked for

  the night off for your celebration, I told her no probs and

  she promised she’d make it up to me with an extra shift

  next week.”

  “Did she say what time she’d be here?”

  A grin spread across Tadpole’s face. “You know women

  mate… If they say eight, what they really mean is nine

  thirty!”

  “Yeah, you got that right,” Jay shoved his change into his

  pocket and picked up the drinks. “Steer her in our

  direction when she gets here would ya, buddy?”

  “Will do.”

  Jay negotiated his way back to the smokers deck with

  very little spillage and headed to Ben, who was now

  seated at another, less unstable table.

  “I thought you must have gotten lost,” he joked.

  Sliding a beer over to him, Jay replied, “Nah, just

  checking on Danni. She should be here any minute.”

  Ben smiled warmly at Jay. “You’re really taken with her,

  aren’t you?”

  “That’s a mild way of putting it, but yeah, I am.” He sat

  down next to Ben and added, “And it’s not just cause

  she’s pregnant either.”

  “Hey, I know that, Jayy.” He smiled at him. “Blind Freddy

  could see that.”

  Jay pulled his cigarettes from his pocket and took one

  from the packet, he slipped it into his mouth and lit it up.

  Swirls of grey smoke whirled through the air around him.

  “I suppose I’ll have to look at chucking these things to the

  dog house,” he said, taking the cigarette from his lips and

  looking at it. “They’re no good around babies.”

  Ben nodded his head in agreement. “I do believe this

  woman and your up-coming offspring could be just what

  the doctor ordered for you, Jayy. There’s big changes

  coming your way and I reckon they’re all good too.”

  “I reckon you just might be right, Benny my boy,” Jay

  looked down at his watch. “It’s eight thirty five, what’s

  keeping her?” He looked back at Ben.

  “I gave up asking that question about women many

  moons ago. They march to a different beat than us. I can

  never work them out and I doubt I ever will.” Ben laughed.

  “I’m sure she’ll be here. She’s probably on her way here as

  we speak.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” Jay settled back into his seat and

  then asked, “So how about you and that pretty little

  nurse. What’s her name again?”

  Ben’s face lit up, his efforts to hide his fondness of the

  nurse were futile. “Carolyn.”

  “Ah, that’s right. So how are things with her? Did you ask

  her out again?”

  The smile would not leave Ben’s face, he lowered his eyes

  to the floor and kicked at the leg of the table like a love

  struck teen.

  “Come on, spill it. Tell me all,” Jay’s encouragement

  spurred some answers from Ben.

  “Yeah. We’re going to dinner tomorrow night.”

  “That’s great, Ben. I knew you had it in ya. You just needed

  a little push.”

  “And thanks for that, by the way.”

  “What?” Jay asked.

  Ben shifted in his chair and kicked at the leg of the table

  some more. “If it hadn’t been for you inviting her to our


  celebrations tonight, well…” he sighed and finished his

  sentence, “I don’t think I’d be taking her anywhere

  tomorrow night!”

  “Hey, think nothing of it. In the end it was you who made

  the biggest move. You asked her out again.”

  “Yeah, I guess so.”

  “I’m proud of ya mate, you’ve had your fair share of shit to

  deal with just recently and you’ve come out the other side

  refreshed and ready for a new life. You deserve a good

  woman.”

  Ben ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed the back

  of his neck.

  “What is it Ben?”

  “Well…”

  “Well what?”

  “It’s Anna.”

  “Oh Jesus man, cut her loose for cryin’ out loud. She’s

  poison, Ben.”

  “I know,” he stared at Jay. “I know. I went and saw her

  today.”

  “You did what?”

  “I had to, I needed to get some things off my chest and I

  just felt I had to do it.”

  “How did it go?” Jay softened his tone.

  “Well it reinforced how selfish and manipulative she is,

  and…”

  “And?”

  “And it also reinforced just how naïve and plain stupid I

  have been. I have spent the best years of my life trying to

  please that woman and wanting to win her back.” He

  gulped down his beer and pushed the glass back on the

  table. “Now I realise that it wouldn’t have made a

  difference what I said or did, it would never have been

  enough. Anna is her own worst enemy and that’s not my

  fault.”

  “Hey, don’t go beating yourself up over it. Y’know, when I

  was reading her history, I found myself feeling sorry for

  her. I imagine that’s how you felt most of your married life

  after only knowing half of her story.”

  “Yeah. What’s your point?”

  “My point is, Ben, I was ready to make excuses for her for

  anything she may have done or been involved in. It’s hard

  not to want to protect a woman, or anybody for that

  matter, when you know what they have been through.”

  Jay crushed his cigarette out in the ashtray. “The fact is

  that Anna got us both where we were the weakest, and

  that’s human nature.”

  “Yeah,” scoffed Ben. “And the nature of the beast!”

  Jay reached for his beer. “Oh, I nearly forgot. Marla’s tox

  results came in today.”

  “Anything in it?”

  “Unfortunately not. Her rape kit was positive for

  spermicide, no fluids or hairs found though, and

  halothane was also present in the tox screen.”

  “So almost identical to Kylie-Anne, then?”

  “No almost about it… exactly identical.” Jay swallowed

  down his beer. “Augie has a theory on our killer though.”

  “Yeah? Great, I’m all ears.”

  “He’s thinking along the lines of an insider.”

  “What? A cop?”

  “Yup.”

  Ben thought it over. “I guess there is some sense in that.

  That would explain how the killer knew the full details of

  Tessa’s murder, right down to the stolen foetus.”

  “Yeah, and the precise details of the mutilation.” Jay

  added.

  “I don’t like the idea of it Jayy, God knows I don’t. The

  thought of one of our own being responsible for the

  heinous deaths of the people they’re paid to protect…”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time there’s been a renegade cop

  snap and set out on a power trip, though.”

  “So, are you liking anyone in particular?”

  “No, not yet. But I’d say first thing tomorrow we’d better

  start sifting through some personnel files, eh?” Jay

  glanced at his watch again, his brow furrowed.

  “Sounds like a good plan. You ok?”

  “It’s twenty past nine, Danni said she’d be here by eight.

  Surely it doesn’t take her that long to get ready.” He

  pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’m gonna give her a

  call, make sure she’s ok.”

  “Sure. I’ll go check back with Tadpole, see if he’s seen or

  heard from her yet.”

  Ben snatched the empty glasses from the table and left

  Jay to his phone call. Inside the bar, the crowd had

  nearly doubled and Ben found it more difficult to reach

  the counter. After being elbowed, tripped and run into a

  few times, he finally reached Tadpole.

  “You seen Danni yet?” Ben asked.

  “No, you mean she isn’t here yet?”

  “Haven’t laid eyes on her. Jay’s giving her a call now.”

  “You want two more while you’re waiting for her?” Tadpole

  asked him.

  “Sure.”

  “Hold off on those Tadpole,” Jay cried from behind Ben.

  He pulled him aside and said, “She’s not answering her

  home phone.”

  “How about mobile?” Ben tried to calm his concerns.

  “No answer there, either. I’m worried, Ben.”

  “Yeah, of course. You want to go check on her?”

  “Do ya mind? Sorry to bust up our celebrations so early.”

  “Hey, don’t worry about that. Do you want me to come

  with you?”

  “Nah, I’m sure she’s fine. I’ll go track her down and bring

  her back here. You wanna hang around for a while? I

  shouldn’t be too long.”

  “Sure, I haven’t got anything else planned.”

  “Thanks Ben.” Jay turned to Tadpole, “Give the man

  another beer, I’ll be back shortly.”

  Tadpole gave him the thumbs up and grabbed a fresh

  glass from the fridge.

  “Sorry mate, I’ll be back soon.”

  “Don’t worry, just go get your girl,” Ben laughed in an

  attempt to keep the tension to a minimum. He could see

  Jay was worried sick and he couldn’t blame him.

  Slapping his pocket he said, “I’ve got my phone on me, I’ll

  let ya know what’s happening when I get there, okay?”

  Jay made his way for the door.

  Ben turned back to the bar and the fresh beer that was

  waiting there. He felt sorry for Jay, he knew how

  frightened he was of anything happening to Danni,

  especially being pregnant and especially with the

  knowledge of a serial killer roaming the streets in search

  of young pregnant women. It was a lot to worry about.

  Not that there was any reason to think Danni was in any

  danger from the predator, it would have to be extremely

  coincidental for the killer to go after Jay’s girl. How would

  the killer even know about her or that she was even

  expecting?

  Augie’s theory returned to his mind. What if the murderer

  was an insider? That would mean he or she was probably

  more likely to know about Danni and her unborn baby.

  Jay had been making no secret of his impending

  fatherhood down at the station. Not that Jay could be

  blamed for doing that. He was excited and why wouldn’t

  he want to share that with his colleagues? Ben sipped on

  his beer and leaned back against the bar. His mind kept

  churning on Augie’s theory, it made too much sense to


  ignore. He raised his hand and motioned to Tadpole.

 

‹ Prev